I have used it as a directory to find a recipe when I wasn't sure which dinner I was looking for. I save the recipes I am likely to make right away, but lately I have been trying some that I wouldn't normally. I also used it this week before submitting my appetizer recipe to see if there were any "trends". I didn't want to submit ANOTHER stuffed mushroom, for example.

POTATO ICEBOX ROLLS (makes 5-6 dozen) 1 1/2 cups milk, scalded & cooled to lukewarm 1/2 cup lukewarm unseasoned mashed potato 1/2 cup water from cooking the potato 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick butter, softened 1 pkg yeast 2 tsp salt 6-7 cups flour, or as needed Combine the milk, mashed potato & potato water, sugar, butter, yeast & salt in the large bowl of a mixer. Add 3 cups flour; beat well & allow to rest 15 minutes. Add the remaining 3-4 cups flour gradually to make a stiff but sticky dough. Atach a dough hook to the mixer & process, adding a little flour if necessary, for 5 minutes. (If not using a dough hook, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic.) Transfer to a greased bowl; cover tightly & refrigerate. Punch the dough down every hour for3 or 4 hours or until dough is completely chilled. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 5 days. Roll out the dough to 1/2" thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into desired shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet; cover loosely with a towel. Let rise in a warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake 15-20 minutes.~~ Carolina Collection These are also good: MELT IN YOUR MOUTH DINNER ROLLS (about 24) 1 pkg dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water 1 TBL sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup milk 1/3 cup margarine (or butter) 1/3 cup sugar Dash of salt 2 eggs, beaten 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups flour Add yeast to warm water. Add 1 TBL sugar & baking powder. Let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, scald 1 cup milk. Add margarine, 1/3 cup sugar & a dash of salt. Cool. Then add eggs. Add flour & mix. Refrigerate overnight. Roll out 1/2 the dough as you would for pie & brush with melted butter. Cut 12 pie-shaped pieces. Roll each from wide end to pointed end. Place on a greased baking sheet & let rise. Do the same with remaining dough. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes.~~Touches of the Hands & Heart

Here are a couple for puff pastry: BLEU CHEESE TARTS (makes 40) 1 pkg frozen puff pastry 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened 3 oz pkg bleu cheese, softened 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup pesto sauce 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Thaw pastry for 1 hour. Unfold onto a cutting board & cut into 1" squares. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove top 1/2 of squares & discard. Thoroughly mix cream cheese, bleu cheese & sun-dried tomatoes. Spread each pastry square with about 1/4 tsp cheese mixture. Top each with a dab of pesto. Sprinkle with walnuts & Parmesan. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet & broil until cheese melts, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.~~ Food for Thought TOMATO DILL SOUP IN PUFF PASTRY (serves 8) 3 TBL butter 2 onions, sliced 2 lbs very ripe tomatoes or 32 oz canned, drained 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine) 3 TBL tomato paste 1/4 cup flour 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2 TBL chopped fresh dill Two 8 oz pkg frozen puff pastry, defrosterd per directions 2 egg yolks, beaten Melt the butter in a heavy nonreactive saucepan & saute the onions for 8-10 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 1/2 cups water, the salt, sugar & pepper. Cover & cook slowly until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes. Sir in the tomato paste. Dissolve the flour in 1/2 cup water. Add 2 1/2 cups more water & stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the tomateos & bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Strain the soup & add the half-and-half, cream & dill. Ladle the warm soup into 8 straight-sided oven-proof soup bowls, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 full. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut rounds from the defrosted puff pastry 1" larger than the diameter of the soup bowls. Paint around the edge of the bowls with the beaten egg yolk. Then place a pastry round over the top of each bowl, slightly stretching it & pressing to secure. Cut out mini hearts, stars, etc. from the remaining dough & affix them to the pastry tops with the egg yolk. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet & bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.~~From California Heritage Continues

Kim, you really should explore the world of seafood, as it is ideal for fast meal prep. The whole secret with cooking shrimp, scallops, and other shellfish is to make sure you don't overcook it. But the particular critter usually gives you a clue. Shrimp turns pink when it's done. Scallops turn opaque. Clams and oysters curl at the edges. The hard ones are calamari and abalone. But even they give you clues. To clean shrimp you need to remove the shells and the mud vein that runs down the back. This can be done before or after cooking, depending on recipes. Hint: Shrimp cooked in their shells are more flavorful. There are special tools for prepping shrimp. But a regular table fork works just as well. Stick one tine into the shell from the head end, pointing into the mud vein. Then push the shrimp onto the tine. The shell and vein will pop right off. If you look at the Nuts & Bolts thread I've posted a simple recipe for Shrimp & Sausage Carbonade that you might want to try. Finned fishes, too, can broaden your choices. Fish does not require a long cooking time in any recipe (the rule of thumb is to cook ten minutes for each inch of thickness). Virtually any cooking method---from poaching to deep fying, baking to barbecuing---can be used for fish cookery.